Survival of dopaminergic neurons in fetal-tissue grafts

The possibility of implanting tissue in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease to alleviate motor deficits has been the focus of multiple international research efforts for the past several years and has generated much public interest. The initial optimism about the clinical benefit of autologous implants in the adrenal medulla was based on moderate clinical improvements reported in the Journal in 1987.¹ This optimism diminished when the results of subsequent studies proved to be inconsistent and showed limited survival of the grafted material. Meanwhile, data from animals with motor abnormalities similar to those that occur in patients with Parkinson's.